Running Late to Work? It May Not Matter

If you were a little late to the office this morning, you may not need to stress about it too much.

A new study indicates a lot of bosses are so sure that employees are working and checking emails before they come in that clock-watching is swiftly becoming a thing of the past.

In a study of 1,000 US and European workers, data-protection company Mozy found almost three-quarters of employers now give mobile devices like smartphones to their teams, which empower workers to get things done wherever they happen to be.

As a result, 73 percent of bosses trust their people are working long before they get to the office, so coming in about a half-hour late doesn’t send anyone into a panic. What’s more, most of those managers let employees work at home about a quarter of the time.

It’s probably just as well since a standard 9-5 routine is now often considered an antiquated novelty. The Mozy study also found that, thanks to remote access, most people start checking their business email at 7:42 a.m., arrive at the office at 8:18 a.m. and leave at 5:48 p.m. — but they don’t actually disconnect from work fully until 7:19 p.m.